Org. Setting and ReportingThis position is located in the Service Provision Platform, Division of Administration. The Finance and Budget Assistant reports to the Head of the Service Provision Platform. The Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean is one of the five regional Commissions of the United Nations. It was founded in 1948 with the purpose of contributing to the region's economic and social development. Its mission includes the design, monitoring and evaluation of public policies and the provision of advisory services, expertise and training to Governments, as well as support for regional and international cooperation and coordination activities. Please visit our website at www.eclac.org for further information. ResponsibilitiesUnder the overall supervision of the head of the Service Provision Platform (SPP), the Finance and Budget Assistant will be responsible for the following duties: • Supports the administrative unit of ECLAC as a dedicated financial assistant for cost recovery processes within ECLAC, the service provider for the Latin America and the Caribbean region. Budget: • Assists in the preparation of supporting documents (narrative and supporting tables) with respect to finalization of cost estimates and budget proposals, in terms of staff and non-staff requirements. • Supports the SPP Officer in extracting information and generating expenditure reports from computerized information system databases; assists in preliminary analyses of the extracted information and the reports generated, and highlights areas of concern for the attention of the Chief of Administration. • Assists in the development of resource requirements for budget submissions and in the preparation of budget performance submissions. • Researches/compiles data and other information required by the SPP Officer in the review and analysis of relevant proposals. • Consolidates data and provides support to SPP Officer with respect to budget reviews of relevant intergovernmental and expert bodies. • Assists the SPP Officer in the preparation/finalization of budget performance reports, performing preliminary analysis of variances between approved budgets and actual expenditures. • Prepares pre-encumbrances and obligations in Umoja and review them to ensure that funds are available and the correct account has been used. • Assists the SPP Officer with data input in the budget instructions for cost recovery processes. • Assists in the financial backstopping of trust funds, including monitoring the status of voluntary contributions, generating expenditure reports from Umoja and monitoring reporting. • Assists the SPP Officer in the issuance of allotments and related staffing table authorizations. • Verifies accuracy of input data, ensuring consistency of data in previous allotments to new allotments issued. • Reviews draft reports, verifying overall accuracy, consistency and uniformity in the presentation, and ensuring comprehensiveness and compliance with the format prescribed by the Editorial and Documents control of GACM; cross-checks consistency of figures in tables with the text of the reports, and verifies references to other reports and documents, bringing errors to the attention of the SPP Officer; ensures that all necessary corrections are incorporated in the reports; co-ordinates with other finance and budget staff on related issues during preparation of budget reports. Treasury: • Reviews incoming payment instructions with regard to banking details and sources of funds. • Prepares and reviews outgoing billing documents. • Dispatches payment instructions and cheques to banks. • Creates receipts and deposits for all incoming funds. • Notifies payees of status of payments. • Assists staff members and Fund Management Officers regarding queries on payment and deposit-related issues. • Identifies and annotates bank account movements. • Files and archives documentation as required. General: • Keeps up-to-date on documents/reports/guidelines that have a bearing on matters related to cost recovery policies, programme budgets, ensuring compliance with intergovernmental recommendations and decisions as well as with United Nations policies and procedures. • Drafts routine correspondence with respect to enquiries related to relevant financial and budget, and SPP matters. • Maintains and keep up-to-date files. • Provides administrative support to the Chief of Administration and/or SPP Officer, as required. • Assists with the collection and analysis of data as well as preparation of data presentations and reports for information sharing, responding to queries, knowledge management, planning and decision making. • Assists with visualizations and updating information material such as web pages or brochures. • Performs other related duties, as assigned. Competencies• Professionalism: Knowledge of, and ability to apply financial rules, regulations and procedures in the UN environment. Ability to maintain accurate records, review and interpret a wide variety of data. Ability to identify and resolve data discrepancies and operational problems. Shows pride in work and in achievements; demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter; is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results; is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns; shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges; remains calm in stressful situations. Commitment to implementing the goal of gender equality by ensuring the equal participation and full involvement of women and men in all aspects of work. Able to perform analysis, modeling and interpretation of data in support of decision-making. • Accountability: Takes ownership of all responsibilities and honours commitments; delivers outputs for which one has responsibility within prescribed time, cost and quality standards; operates in compliance with organizational regulations and rules; supports subordinates, provides oversight and takes responsibility for delegated assignments; takes personal responsibility for his/her own shortcomings and those of the work unit, where applicable. • Client Orientation: Considers all those to whom services are provided to be “clients” and seeks to see things from clients’ point of view; establishes and maintains productive partnerships with clients by gaining their trust and respect; identifies clients’ needs and matches them to appropriate solutions; monitors ongoing developments inside and outside the clients’ environment to keep informed and anticipate problems; keeps clients informed of progress or setbacks in projects; meets timeline for delivery of products or services to client. EducationHigh school diploma or equivalent is required. NOTE: For positions in the General Service category, candidates are required to clearly indicate in their Applicant Profile (AP) relevant information confirming completion of High School. Job - Specific QualificationSupplemental technical or courses in the fields of finance, budgeting or accounting is required. Work ExperienceAt least five (5) years of experience in finance, budget, accounting, administrative services or related area is required. The minimum years of relevant experience is reduced to three (3) for candidates who possess a first-level university degree or higher. Experience working with Enterprise Resources Planning (ERP) systems is required. Experience working with applications for reporting and Microsoft 365 applications including Excel, Power BI, SharePoint, etc., is desirable. One (1) year or more of experience in data analytics or related area is desirable. LanguagesEnglish and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this job opening, English and Spanish are required. The table below shows the minimum required level for each skill in these languages, according to the UN Language Framework (please consult https://languages.un.org for details).